


NOVEMBER 19, 1831. 
SEPTEMBER 19, 1881. 



^IXOIfcESS 



III MEMORIAL SERVICES 



PRINCETON, MASS., 






SEPTEMBER 25, 1881 



AAROII WARD, U.S.NAYY. 




NEWPORT, B. I.: 
JOHN P. SANBORN, PRINTER. 

1881. 



ADDRESS 



My Friends : 

No nation, however favored, can escape its share of 
great and often bitter trial. Such are the dread seasons 
of war and tumult, or 

"When the seals 

That close the pestilence are broke, 

And crowded cities wail its stroke !" 

Such are the tidings of sudden disaster by fire or flood, 

appalling us by their terrors and appealing to our hearts 

and bands for relief, which, in America, is never sought 

in vain. 

Individuals likewise have their seasons of trials, the 
depressions of business, the drought bringing ruin to the 
husbandman, the tempest assailing the toilers of the sea, 
and then the saddest trials, common to us all, the hours 
which bring death to our beloved ones; these are, indeed, 
the "times that try men's souls." 

And yet no sorrow, national or personal, can come in 
vain ; some dross, at least, is consumed, some feelings must 
be purified by the fiery scourge of our afflictions. 

We meet this evening as individuals and Americans to 



increase our experiences of sadness by the period of long- 
ing suspense, begun by the report of the assassin's weapon 
on that fatal July morning, and closed by the solemn mid- 
night bells, which told us that our beloved President was 
no more. 

For eighty days a great nation stood at the bedside of 
one man, watching, with touching interest, the tide of 
that one precious life, now rippling up on the shores of 
time and gladdening ever}' heart by its approach, then re- 
ceding as slowly; but alas ! more surely, until it ebbed 
away into eternity. 

Nor did we keep our sacred watch alone. In every 
land our prayers, our tears, and our anxieties were shared; 
the very seas, no longer dividing us, seemed rather to 
unite the people of the Old World with their sorrowing- 
brethren of the New. 

For eighty anxious days no cares of business or of the 
household were so great but what, in every American 
home, that stricken man proved the daily subject of joy 
or fear, and oftentimes of prayer. 

For a striking instance of the universal sympathy, we 
might recall the actions of a crowd gathering at a bulletin 
on any two days when the news differed widely in its 
character. 

Take first one of those "good daj's'' we remember so 
well. The smile of relief on the reader's face as he went 
on to his affairs, was but a reflection of the divine light 
that would brighten a million faces as the welcome tidings 
floated from end to end of our continent. 

And then, piteous contrast, when the messages were 



sad ones ! The eagerness to clutch at any straw of hope, 
the solemn anxiety with which our people of every sec- 
tion, creed, or political opinion, listened in silence to the 
beating of that great heart which now is stilled forever. 

"He taught us how to live, and far too high 
A price for knowledge, taught us how to die." 

Born November 19th, 1831, a graduate of Williams 
College in 1856, professor and principal of Hiram College 
until 1859; then a member of the Ohio State Senate, 
mustered into service in 1861, elected to Congress in 1862, 
and serving therein continuously until 1880; elected sen- 
ator from Ohio in that year and subsequently chosen in 
the same year for the highest office in the gift of the peo- 
ple — such is the summary of that useful life. 

But what the dates and dry statistics fail to embody — 
the hours of labor and strength, the odds against which 
success was achieved, the disappointments without a sin- 
gle encouraging feature to lighten them — who shall ade- 
quately reckon these things? Who can do justice to that 
incarnation of the poet's dream : 

'•So to act that each to-morrow 
Find us farther than today." 

Picture to yourselves his heroic mother, suddenly left 
alone in the world with four little children and but 
scanty means to sustain her in the great battle of life ! 

Adversity is to many like the sudden blast, extinguish- 
ing the sparks of a slender faith in that Providence which 
does not suffer one sparrow to fall to the ground unheed- 
ed. But there are nobler souls, and when these are buf- 
feted bv the storms of misfortune, the fire of their trust 



burns with a brighter glow than ever, with confidence in 
the Divine Master. 

To this better class belonged the good mother of our 
future President, and she devoted all her energies to the 
needs of her youthful family. 

James, the youngest of her children, was but two years 
old at the time of his father's death. We learn that he 
grew from infancy to boyhood with few comforts and 
many hardships; so dire were the necessities, so close the 
struggle, that he could afford little time for education. It 
is stated that for many years he scarcely knew how to read 
or write. Meanwhile he did what he could to lighten the 
burden of his mother's care. As a mere boy he worked 
at the trade of a carpenter. Even in these early days we 
recognize the germs of energy and perseverance which 
brought forth their fruit in due season. In the homely 
language of his employer at the time : "He was a good 
boy. a good son, there wasn't a lazy hair in Jim Garfield !" 
In time the lad sought employment on the Ohio canal, 
where by harder work he commanded higher wages than 
by working ;it his trade. 

"The thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts," and, 
doubtless, as he trudged along the banks of the canal, our 
future President may have dreamed of better opportuni- 
ties in store for him. Little did he know that the weary 
miles of the towpath would stretch onward for him to the 
Capitol of the Nation; little did he think that the flowers 
he might gather by the wayside would weave themselves 
with time, into a martyr's crown ! 

Over a year passed thus; then the boy was compelled, 



sorely against his will, to lie upon a bed of sickness at 
home. God's ways, ever inscrutable, made this the means 
of turning his career into channels more suited to his great 
natural gifts. While on his bed of suffering he became 
acquainted with the teacher of an adjoining school, and 
with his help resolved to make some use of his enforced 
idleness. Very soon he had acquired the rudiments of an 
education, and then, as surely as water seeks its level, the 
thoughts of the invalid soared to higher planes of useful- 
ness. He resolved to fit himself for college, and the way 
in which he did it was characteristic of the man. Poring; 
over his books in the hours of study, toiling in the shop 
in recreation times, this great son of the state was alter- 
nately scholar and artisan, the wages of the latter defray- 
ing the expenses of the former. 

That he began his studies at snch a disadvantage when 
compared to others of his own age, was no leaden weight 
to burden his career, but rather the spur of that incentive 
which alone enables us to rise to higher things. 

What bounds could restrain, or what privations daunt 
such energy as his? Slowly then, but surely, the young- 
man made his way up the ladder of progress ; no element 
of wealth or influential friends to secure his foothold or 
hasten his ascent — believing in his destiny and in his God, 
he rose ! 

He reached the intellectual level of educated men a few 
years before the outbreak of the war, when he returned 
from Williams College to become a teacher at his first 
school in Hiram. At this period, as a devout member of 
the Campbellite church, he often preached at their meet- 



8 

ings and otherwise identified himself with the earnest, 
practical Christianity of his associates. 

The country then stood upon the brink of that great 
struggle which removed the one dark blot from the banner 
of our freedom. It was the very birthright of a man like 
Garfield, who had risen from the lowest ranks of labor to 
take his stand in favor of the oppressed, to be by nature 
a true lover of his country's liberty. And so, when the 
final appeal was made to arms, when our misguided sister 
States looked to the fortunes of war to justify their views, 
we find Garfield at his post on the side of what we believe 
to be the right. 

A man of his character could not fail to render valuable 
service in those troublous times. Brightest in his record 
and hallowed now by its sorrowful associations, we recall 
that other 19th of September. We remember, with pride, 
that gallant young chief of staff, running the gauntlet of 
the entire confederate line, to warn Gen. Thomas of the 
enemy's movements, saving our left wing from destruction, 
stemming the tide of the rebel advance, and rendering 
historically possible our grand old figure of "the Rock of 
Chickamauga." 

Bold as he was in maintaining his country's right, the 
South well knows that, in our Union of to-day, it had no 
better friend than this one time loyal enemy. So on the 
nineteenth anniversary of his greatest military achieve- 
ment, we see no fairer wreaths of mourning on his bier, 
than the garlands of magnolia, of orange leaf and pal- 
metto, from those who wore the grey. 

Once identified with the nation's work, Garfield, entered 



9 

upon his political career in the national arena. For ei°-h- 
teen years he represented in the House one of the most 
intelligent constituencies of the country. His qualities 
soon made him the natural leader of his party, and finally 
its acknowledged head. A very Rupert in debate, his 
were not the talents that always triumph in the petty skir- 
mishes of party warfare. But when any great question 
arose on which he had to speak, the House was sure to be 
thronged with eager listeners, sure to be swayed by the 
might of his opinions. 

Our purpose here this evening recalls one rnournfulty 
appropriate example of his eloquence. Two winters ago 
an evening session was held in the House of Representa- 
tives, when the friends of the lamented Professor Henry 
were invited to the floor, to eulogize the deceased head of 
our national museum, the Smithsonian Institute. A bril- 
liant audience had participated in this token of respect, 
distinguished political and scientific men had extolled the 
virtues and services of the deceased. The regular order 
of ceremonies seemed concluded, and many were prepar- 
ing to depart, when a well known form arose in the body 
of the House and a voice begged leave to add its tribute 
to the memory of a valued friend. Recognized at once 
and followed with rapt attention, he said : 

"No page of human history is so instructive or signifi- 
cant as the record of those early influences which develop 
the character and direct the minds of eminent men. 

"To every man of great original power, there comes in 
youth a moment of self recognition, a season when his 
own strength is revealed to himself, when he catches for 



10 

the first time a .strain of that immortal song to which 
his own heart answers, and which becomes henceforth the 
inspiration of his life : 

'Like noble music unlo noble words.' " 

As we note the application of these words to the turn- 
ing point in his own life, to the bo}- whose hours of sick- 
ness were the revelation of a better dawn, the orator sums 
up in feeling words the services of the dead scientist, and, 
in conclusion, says : 

"Remembering his great career, as a man who served 
his government with singular abilit} r and faithfulness ; 
who was loved and venerated by every circle ; whose 
friendship blessed the worthiest and best ; whose life 
added new lustre to the glory of the human race ; we shall 
be fortunate indeed, if ever in the future we see his like 
again !" 

It was Garfield who spoke ; the words might well be 
taken as his own epitaph. 

In mind and person he represented much that is best in 
our American manhood. An earnest Christian, a good 
husband and father, his pleasant home life in Washington 
will not be forgotten by the guests for whom he rendered 
it so genial. He set apart his Friday evenings for the 
amusement of his children and their little friends, and 
nothing but urgent duty would keep him from these merry 
gatherings. Much of their brightness was due to his own 
efforts on behalf of the little ones ; now, when the light 
is quenched, its reflection will surely linger in the hearts 
of many once brightened by its kindly rays. 

Himself no stranger to sorrow and trouble, his ear read- 



11 

ily found the level of the distressed, and no deserving ap- 
plicant ever sought his aid or advice unheeded 

The affection shown for him in these later days was 
not, therefore, of spontaneous growth. . Kind friend, gen- 
erous adversary, the feelings he inspired had only extended 
their sphere — their circle had widened to the boundaries 
of the nation — that was all ! 

Perhaps, I may illustrate his thoughtfulness by an inci- 
dent which occurred the last time I was ever to see him. 
It was Saturday, June 4th, four weeks, almost to the hour, 
before he was laid low. The place was Hampton Roads, 
Va. ; the occasion, a visit of the President to the Naval 
Training Squadron, in which I have the honor to serve- 
He had reviewed our young seamen a few weeks before at 
the unveiling of the Farragut statue, and was much inter- 
ested in the training of these young men. He had prom- 
ised to visit their squadron whenever public duties would 
permit, and came in fulfilment of this promise, accompa- 
nied by some of those friends who have shared the later 
sorrows as well as the few pleasures that were yet to be 
his. Mrs. Garfield, however, remained in Washington. 

Shortly after the President's arrival, a violent storm of 
wind and rain arose, and his yacht steamed some distance 
up the bay. I had been on board the vessel with our com- 
modore, and was sent thence to inform the captain of a 
foreign man-of-war when his official visit would be re- 
turned. 

On my way back to my own ship, the President's yacht 
signalled me to board a shore boat in the distance and 
bring off despatches. Looking down to leeward I saw a 



12 

small boat vainly trying to make its way out against the 
wind and sea. I happened to know, from what I had 
heard on the yacht, that the President was anxious for 
news of his wife, who was still in delicate health. My 
boys had been having rather hard work, but they needed 
little encouragement on such an errand. We soon got the 
despatch and started out to the yacht. It was a tough 
pull, but long before we reached our destination we could 
see the President standing out in the rain and watching 
our progress. He received the despatch himself, glanced 
at it, and then, still forgetful of his own condition, he 
leaned over the side of the yacht and said a few kindly 
words of thanks to the dripping crew. It was a little 
thing, but then, my friends, is not life's bright side made 
up of little things like these ? Slight acts of thoughtful- 
ness, costing nothing, perhaps, often meaning much. 
Those boys will remember it, at all events, and when the 
nimble topman of to-day becomes the grey headed quar- 
termaster, or grim boatswain's mate, the rough voice will 
soften as he proudly tells his shipmates what our murdered 
President once said of him. 

There is a gleam of comfort in the thoughts of those 
boys to-day. If we could do nothing to help our stricken 
commander-in-chief, our element, at least, performed a 
kindly office in our stead. The dying man's last look of 
pleasure was cast upon the sea ! 

One year ago our lamented President had reached, in 
the prime of life, the summit of political ambition. Rep- 
resentative, senator, soon to be chief magistrate ; many 
wondered how a man could rise so steadily from humble 



13 

surroundings to ever increasing honors, and yet, there is 
but one explanation for such a career as his. When at 
sea we study the barometer for indications of the weather, 
we give little heed to the slight ups and downs of the 
mercury observed from hour to hour. It is the long con- 
tinued fall that creates anxiety, the steady rise which 
promises fair skies and favoring winds. The whole sci- 
ence of weather lore is summed up in the sailor's verse : 

"Short coming, soon past, 
Long foretold, long last!" 

and the barometer of human success bears no different in- 
terpretation. A lucky turn in the wheel of fortune may 
bring temporary triumph to the unworthy, but the steady 
growth of honors belongs alone to those who realize with 
Garfield, that 

" 'Tis not in mortals to command success, 
We must do more — deserve it." 

Standing now by his open grave — is there not some- 
thing he left us to do — was there no higher point at which 
he aimed, and to which we may at least exalt his memory ? 

We remember that his death was the act of a madman, 
but do not the murderer's words h'nt at some duty we owe 
to the victim ? 

Noxious plants, my friends, thrive with a rapidity pro- 
portioned to their evil effects, and so there has sprung up 
under the shadow of the government, the gigantic and 
deadly growth of strife for the spoils of office. To those 
removed by duty or inclination from the active field of 
politics, there is nothing more painful than this disgrace- 
ful spectacle — sense of honor, decency, cast to the winds — 
the deserving thrust aside and the country's service claimed 



14 

us a right wherever effrontery and inefficiency go hand in 
hand. Left to itself this deadly weeil of office seeking 
will, in time, so clog the wheels of public business, so 
undermine the fabric of our institutions, that nothing 
short of a revolution will afford us a remedy. 

Do we now need a higher incentive than the example 
of our dead President, in rooting out this odious growth ? 
Has he languished through all these weaiy weeks without 
urging us to carry on the good work interrupted by the 
assassin's bullet? 

Let us not rely on granite or marble alone to perpetuate 
the memory of the nation's dead. He has left us a prec- 
ious legacy sealed with his blood, if we labor to fulfil it, 
and establish the principles for which he gave his life, 
then "the man around whose deathbed all our dissensions 
were buried" will not have died in vain. 

Give us throughout the land, servants of the people se- 
lected for their fitness ; give us offices, like commissions 
of the army and navy, which represent a trust and not 
necessarily a politician's reward ; give us, voters of Amer- 
ica — efficiency, honesty and good behavior as the sole con- 
ditions for a tenure of office — and then we may say of our 
lost leader as we contemplate the civil service of the 

United States : 

"If ye seek his monument, behold it!" 
Let us dwell for a moment, in conclusion, upon a last 

incident in this good man's life. It is the day of his in- 
auguration ; crowds have gathered to witness the cere- 
mony that makes him the first citizen of over fifty millions 
of people. Political friends and opponents join to-day to 
congratulate the country upon its happy choice and on the 



15 

peaceful issue of the questions that every great election 
submits to the will of the people. 

The oath is taken, the new President turns away — can 
we not follow his thought? Back over the rugged path 
of his ascent to fame and power; back to the humble 
scenes of his boyhood and to the struggles of those youth- 
ful days •, back, first and foremost to his sole helper in tin- 
early times, and to the other dear one whose devotion is 
second only to hers who gave him birth. He turns, with- 
out a word, to kiss his aged mother and his beloved wife 
at her side. There was more eloquence in that one act, 
than in all the golden words we treasure as having once 
been his. 

Like him, let us turn from the thought of his greatness 
to lay our silent tribute at the feet of his truest support- 
ers. Aged mother, noble wife, and you, loving friends 
and helpers who nursed him so tenderly and long, no 
words of ours will conole you, the nation can only hope 
to lessen the burden of your sorrow by sharing it. 

We believe that good men may occupy his vacant place 
as faithful stewards of the nation's trust, but many may 
succeed ere one arises to replace him. 

Enshrined in the honored roll of our country's dead, 
the name of him we mourn to-day will ever occupy a 
place peculiarly and sacredly its own. 

Reverence for the memory of Washington, gratitude 
and affection for our lamented Lincoln, so nobly deserved, 
are freely given. But in the hearts of our generation, at 
least, the tenderest chord will ever be touched, the sad- 
dest memories recalled, by the name of James A. Gar- 
field. 



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